I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of security systems and, more particularly, to a microprocessor controlled security tag apparatus, system and method.
II. Description of the Related Art
Prior security systems where patients need to be monitored typically include a patient tag that sounds an alarm if the tag approaches a prohibited zone or is otherwise damaged or compromised. Prior security systems using tags are limited because often times there are dead zones in the antenna fields used to monitor the tags in prohibited zones. These prior antennas are limited due to the fact that they create fields in which certain orientations of the tag may create null points in which it is possible for a tag to escape detection in the prohibited zone. Other limitations in prior systems are due to the fact that the tags sense the skin direct current (DC) resistivity of the patient which can create detection limitations. For example, in an infant application, an infant's skin tends to be an effective insulator thereby potentially approaching infinite resistance. Furthermore, many prior tags utilize discrete circuitry in processing detection information and can therefore lack processing power to determine certain specific conditions. In addition, the lack of processing power makes it difficult to update features and parameters of the tag.